What to Check Before Choosing a Solution
Why I check the scope, owner, and safety rules before I compare solutions to a hard problem.
- PROBLEM
- People may suggest solutions before the scope and ownership of a problem are clear.
- DECISION
- Before I start, I write down who and what may be affected, who owns each part, and how I will check safety.
- OUTCOME
- The team gets a clear basis for discussion, testing, and recovery if the change fails.
At work, a solution often appears before the problem is clear. The biggest risk is not always a bad solution. Sometimes we are trying to solve the wrong problem.
What was the problem?
Before comparing solutions, I need to know who will be affected. I also need to know who can make the decision and what must be tested.
Technical choices should stay inside these clear limits. Without them, the work can grow in the wrong direction.
How I compared the choices
For a hard problem, I write down three questions:
- Which people and systems will this change affect?
- Which parts do I own, and which parts belong to another team?
- What test will show that the change is safe?
These questions make a general request more clear. They also help the team have shorter and more useful meetings.
What I chose and did
I do not wait until every unknown point is solved. That can stop all progress. Instead, I test the idea in a small area.
I keep the old way available during the test. I also prepare a clear way to go back. A small and safe test often gives better information than a long discussion.
What happened and what remains
These questions do not remove all uncertainty. However, they show what we know and what we still need to learn.
They also make the next decision point clear. If the change fails, the team knows where to return.
What I will do next time
I will write down the scope, owner, and safety check before I compare technical solutions. This gives the team a shared starting point.
This blog records these choices and the things I learned after making them.